Transportation officials announced Friday that the $15 toll most drivers will be charged to enter Manhattan’s central business district will begin June 30th.
The so-called congestion pricing plan applies a $15 fee to most drivers entering south of 60th Street in Manhattan during the day. Tolls for large vehicles are higher, but tolls for entering the city at night and for motorcycles are lower.
The program was approved by the New York State Legislature in 2019 and is supposed to raise $1 billion annually to fund public transportation for the city’s 4 million daily riders.
New York City offers $15 fee to drivers entering Manhattan’s central business district
Jano Lieber, CEO of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, told WABC: “More than 90% of people walk, cycle and most importantly use public transportation to get to and from busy areas and the central business district. “I’m coming,” he said. “We are a mass transit city and we intend to make life in New York even better.”
FILE – A recently installed paid traffic camera is installed over West End Avenue near 61st Street in the Manhattan borough of New York City on Friday, Nov. 16, 2023. This is the first day most drivers will be charged a $15 toll if they enter Manhattan’s central business district. Transportation officials announced Friday, April 26, 2024, that June 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Ted Shafley, File)
In addition to raising money for buses and subways, supporters argue that congestion pricing would reduce pollution and discourage cars from entering Manhattan. Opponents say the tolls will burden commuters and increase prices for essential goods transported into the city by truck.
New Jersey is suing over its congestion pricing plan, the first such program in the United States.
Lieber said he is “fairly optimistic” about how the New Jersey case will be resolved.
Lieber said congestion pricing will begin at 12:01 a.m. on June 30, so the first drivers will be charged a $3.75 late-night fee. $15 toll goes into effect at 9 a.m.
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Low-income drivers can apply for congestion fee discounts on the MTA’s website, and people with disabilities can apply for exemptions.
